When the bell rings for 9.A at Korsvejens School in TÃ¥rnby, all mobile phones are locked away in a small cabinet.
But that does not mean the teaching is screen-free. Around the tables, there is a computer screen in front of every single student.
"We use the computer every lesson, and for almost the entire lesson," says Josefine Olsen, who is in 9.A.
"We use it for everything. All assignments in every lesson, it's open," says classmate Malthe Serup.
In 9.A, several students say the computer is a help when you need to learn something. But it is also more than that.
Because game tabs and other pages can quickly steal your attention when the computer is already open in front of you.
"It's tempting when you're bored," says Oscar Hegelund Procter, showing the game "Slope," which he can end up opening even though he should be spending time on schoolwork.
And if one student opens a game, it can spread to others.
"Maybe you see that your neighbor is playing. Then you can go in and play the same game," says Valdemar Høj Larsen.
"It's not so good, because you often get really caught up in the game, and then it's hard to find your way back and stay focused on what you know you're supposed to be doing," says Malthe Serup.
The computers can be used for many things at school, but they can also be distracting, say the students in 9.A.
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Changes course
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Now TÃ¥rnby Municipality wants to change course and limit screens to a greater extent.
The municipality has – like most others in the country – for years invested in digital learning materials in primary school. Computers, digital learning platforms, and online assignments have become a fixed part of the school day.
The change of course is due, among other things, to new knowledge about children and young people's well-being, learning, and sleep, says Mayor Allan S. Andersen (Social Democrats).
He points to recommendations from the Danish Agency for Education and Quality, the Well-being Commission, and the municipality's own health profile.
"It actually shows that TÃ¥rnby Municipality is one of the municipalities where we generally use too much screen, and where we get too little sleep. So the entire knowledge base we have now simply means we are going to go a different way," says Allan S. Andersen.
He emphasizes that it is not about scrapping the computers entirely.
"We are not going back to the analog school, but we want to do less digital teaching," he says.
Today, the class is going to watch a short film, and afterwards they have to solve tasks about the film, which they write on the computer. And the students think it would be okay to scale back the use of screens a bit.
"We use the computer so much that my handwriting is really bad when I write. It's not particularly pretty, and sometimes I can't even read it myself," says Malthe Serup.
Josefine Olsen also thinks the computer screen can take up too much space.
"You can get a headache. I mean, six hours with a computer. It can become too much," she says.
Malthe Serup and Josefine Olsen from 9.A at Korsvejens School are fine with using computers at school. But it can also become a bit too much, they think.
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New knowledge
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Several school researchers tell DR that digitalization in primary school has gone overboard, and that sitting for so many hours in front of a screen does not benefit children's learning.
At the same time, the PISA survey that came out about a month ago shows that Denmark is at the top worldwide when it comes to the use of digital tools in school.
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"Has it been irresponsible of you as politicians to give the children so much screen time?"
"No. But it is clear that we went the digital route at a time when we were betting on it. Now new knowledge has emerged, and therefore we have to change direction," says Mayor Allan S. Andersen.
TÃ¥rnby Municipality will now use some of the money it previously spent on computers and digital learning platforms on books and exercise books.
In 9.A, the politicians' ambitions for less screen time are also received positively.
"We also need some breaks for the brain, so paper might be nice once in a while," says Josefine Olsen.
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